A kitty litter box is commonly used to accommodate the daily functions of a cat. The upkeep of a kitty litter box is crucial to the comfort of a cat and/or the enjoyment of a cat by the pet's owner. Specifically, a cat will interact with the kitty litter while relieving its bodily needs. Thus, after a period of time, the kitty litter will reach a sanitarily unacceptable condition. At this point, the cat may reject the kitty litter box and instead seek alternate locations, such as rugs, floors, furniture, and plants. Additionally, the sanitarily unacceptable kitty litter will often produce an undesirable odor and may be of a non-hygienic nature. Consequently, a cat owner must be extremely conscientious about replacing kitty litter on a timely basis.
In the past, a cat's kitty litter needs were addressed by pouring a granular absorbent material, such as a processed clay product, into a clean open receptacle. The cat would then interact with the fresh kitty litter until it reached a sanitarily unacceptable state. The open receptacle was then emptied, such as by transferring the sanitarily unacceptable kitty litter into a plastic bag and then disposing of the plastic bag. Additionally, the open receptacle would have to be washed at least on a periodic basis to eliminate undesirable odors and to promote hygienics. The open receptacle would then be re-filled with fresh kitty litter for further interaction with the cat.
The odor and the non-hygienic nature of sanitarily unacceptable kitty litter often makes the task of "cleaning the litter box" an unpleasant experience. This unpleasantness is multiplied in situations where a large number of kitty litter boxes are needed, such as at pet shops, animal shelters and/or pet shows. Additionally, some experts believe that contact with sanitarily unacceptable kitty litter may impose certain health risks on pregnant women. Moreover, traveling with a cat often involves the inconvenient and cumbersome chore of transporting the supplies for a cat's kitty litter needs (i.e., the open receptacle and the fresh kitty litter).
A relevant recent development is "scoopable" kitty litter. With this type of kitty litter, the portions of the litter that interacted with the cat form clumps. These clumps are removed from the open receptacle, such as by scooping them into a plastic bag and disposing of the plastic bag. While "scoopable" kitty litter minimizes the need to completely replace kitty litter, it still requires at least limited contact with the sanitarily unacceptable kitty litter. Additionally, the open receptacle must still be completely emptied and cleaned on a periodic basis.
Another relevant recent development is disposable kitty litter boxes, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,282 to Hasiuk; U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,914 to Giannakopoulos; U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,781 to Roach; U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,043 to Fields; U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,576 to James; U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,671 to Cheesman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,901 to Zeitter; U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,977 to Kirsky; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,052 to Sweeney. With particular reference to the kitty litter boxes disclosed in the James, Zeitter and Sweeney patents, they each include a container and a granular kitty litter enclosed within the container. Such a container is designed to be stored as a closed receptacle until ready for use, converted into an open receptacle for interaction with a cat, and then converted back into a closed receptacle for convenient and sanitary disposal purposes. Thus, the James, Zeitter and/or Sweeney kitty litter boxes would seem to eliminate the often unpleasant and non-hygienic task of changing kitty litter.
One significant drawback of the disposable kitty litter boxes disclosed in the above-identified patents relates to their weight. Specifically, the amount of granular material necessary to accommodate most kitty litter boxes can create a heavy burden during the transfer of a fresh kitty litter box to the desired location and/or during the disposal of the kitty litter box. Additionally or alternatively, the "non-resilient" nature of most granular kitty litter products requires a bulky packaging arrangement to accommodate the desired volume of material. Consequently, the weight and size parameters of these kitty litter boxes often nullifies their convenience in connection with disposal.
Accordingly, applicants believe that a need remains for a lightweight kitty litter box which totally eliminates the often unpleasant and non-hygienic task of changing kitty litter. Additionally, in view of our planet's already critical waste disposal problems, applicants believe that a need remains for a kitty litter box which incorporates biodegradable and recyclable materials.